India to come up with directives on green hydrogen use

The Indian government is expected to come out with a mandate on the usage of green hydrogen in the country.

According to Secretary in the Ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, the government is first trying to figure out whether it can collate demand, aggregate and make it more clear for the industry to set up production facilities and in due course of time in consultation with the concerned ministries and the sectors a call will be taken in this regard.

He said that export-related topics were also discussed during a round-table at the conference. Singapore, Korea and Japan along with the EU participated in the round-table. Representatives of these countries, officials of the Indian government and industry players attended the session.

Out of the planned green hydrogen production by 2030 under the mission, around 70 per cent would be for export.

In January 2023, the Centre approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with an outlay of Rs 19,744 crore with an aim to make India a global hub for manufacturing green hydrogen.

The mission seeks to promote development of a production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonne) per annum with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country by 2030.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will take steps in coordination with MNRE and other ministries for building skillsets ensuring employability in this sector. Suitable courses and programmes will be developed for skilling of manpower across the value chain, including manufacturing of equipment, green hydrogen project installation, and operations and maintenance.

Other important areas like green finance of hydrogen projects, its storage, transport, codes, framework, research and development related topics, and pilot projects were also discussed.